The Talk

It all started on just a regular day. Well, maybe not regular. It was a long hard week. Shit, it was a long hard Monday followed by an even harder Tuesday. In the first place it had been raining for the last four days. At times, I didn't think the rain was ever going to stop.

When you're a kid, before the internet, you sit by the window and sang songs, like "rain, rain go away.... come again another day." One of my other favorite things to do was to watch drops of water race down the glass, to see if I could guess which one would beat all the other rain drops to the bottom of the window.

But I was a grown man now, with responsibilities. My wife and I had moved into the infamous "Starter Home." The one we were beginning to think of, as going to be the last house we would ever be able to afford. Nina, my wife, found out about two years into our marriage she wouldn't be able to have children. That added a lot of pain and pressure into a young relationship. But being the guy I was, I was there for her. I thought .... No, that's wrong! I knew, she was the woman I wanted in my life at the end...Changing my diaper and cleaning my dirty ass when I wasn't able to do it myself.

You know how it is.... You walk into a room or turn a corner, and there she is. The world sings, and your heart is pounding so hard you fear for your life. Maybe it didn't happen for you that way, but I knew from the very beginning, Nina was the gal for me. We didn't have to put ourselves out there on a dating site. We knew. Done and done!

It's at this point, you begin to start adding little wrinkles into the blinding bliss of not having to worry about a date on Friday night. Somehow you find out the beer money you had burning a hole in your pocket isn't there anymore. The old buggy running out of gas is not just a lie you have to tell when you're out too late, but it's true now.

I hate to do this, but it must be done. My name, on my birth certificate reads James Joseph Hamilton. To my wife I'm Jimmy. To all of my friends.... I'm Bubba. I wouldn't mind it if everyone called me Jimmy-Joe or just Jim, or Jimbo. But because I was born and raised South of the Mason-Dixon line, I had a little bit of a Southern accent, (okay, a lot of an accent). So, my Marine friends in California just couldn't get away from calling me Bubba. Thank you, Forest Gump ... I'm Irish.

When my enlistment was up, I stayed in So-Cal and used all the bennies I had coming to me to get through school. I was thirty by the time the BA was in a box in my truck. But it was there, and I had earned it. I still have the scar from the shrapnel that tried to end my days.

When my school days ended, I moved to the Northern part of the state and that's where I met Nina. I went to work at a small Outdoor Supply Company, that showed the promise of not remaining small. I was wrong. After four very long and tiring years, there was no sign of anyone ever getting a raise, let alone a promotion. Oh, my "Handsome-Jack" of a boss, and his ten relatives did fine. It was the other ten or fifteen of us that did all the damn work.

Nina worked at a moving company warehouse, and if she didn't work, it was nye on impossible to get through the days and nights. When Uncle Sam is paying for the groceries, all is right with the world. When that becomes your responsibility ... it sucks.

We were never without friends. We hung out with a couple from my work, and she had another couple friends that we ran with every once in a while. In looking back, maybe we should have had fewer friends.

Anyway, it was raining it's ass off and I was not in the greatest of moods when I pulled my truck into the driveway. I noticed the bright new 150 parked at the curb in front. My wife, God bless her loving soul, had commandeered my side of the garage for her hobby/sewing/junk room, so I had to park outside, in the rain.

Like a fool, I was sitting in my truck, trying once again to put my thoughts together about my fucked up life. I was staring at the rain drops against the windshield, like I might be able to run to the house and not get wet. (Don't laugh, we've all tried it and you know it.)

As I reached for the door, I looked through the window to see my wife, sitting at the kitchen table with a man I knew from some of the outings we'd been on together. His name is Martin James (another guy blessed with two first names). He just divorced his wife, and here I am, looking through a window on the door to 'my' home, watching him smiling and laughing at whatever they were talking about.

Cursing and stomping my feet (as if my shoes were going to miraculously become dry), waiving a soaked baseball cap in the air, and shedding my jacket as quickly as I could. That's when the faces of the two compadres in my kitchen went from smiling and laughing to "what the fuck do you want," looks on their faces.

"Hey, Martin, what in the world brings you out on a day like today?" What! ... Did you think I was going to run up to him and give him a kiss?

"I just stopped by to see if Nina wanted my support." A sanctimonious smile on his face.

With doubts filling my normally empty head... "I didn't know Nina needed any support." Turning to my wife, in all seriousness, I asked. "Nina, why do you need Martin here? Do you think you're in danger?"

"No, we need to talk, and I felt I needed someone here to help in case it got out of hand."

"What do we need to talk about that you think you might need help? Do you think I would hurt you in some way? Hell, I don't even know what you want to discuss." She could see the anger building in my face and posture.

She stepped back from me and looked down at the floor. "I don't love you anymore, Jimmy." She wouldn't even look me in the eye.

I could see Martin begin to move slightly. "Martin, I think you need to leave, so Nina and I can figure this out."

"She wants me to stay."

"Well, I want you to leave, and if you don't get the hell out of my house, we'll just have to see if you can outrun my nine-mil." I reached down to my hip and placed the palm of my hand on the Nine-millimeter Glock, all snuggled up, nice and dry. "You see Martin, if you don't leave, I'll just have to shoot the both of you. Now you decide. Is your life worth a piece of ass?"

"Jimmy....Jimmy......Jimmy, please baby we can talk this out. I promise we can do this without anyone getting hurt." Nina's face was flushed with fear.

"Martin, just get the hell out. I wouldn't hurt this woman ever. Now, just put your jacket on and get the hell out."

With a nod of reassurance from Nina, Martin grabbed his jacket from the back of a chair and headed out into the rain.

"So, you don't love me anymore. Is that what you're saying?"

Her voice seemed to stutter as she nodded in the affirmative.

"Do you want to get a lawyer, or would you rather I did the dirty work?"

There was a question on her face. "Do I need one?"

"I guess I better find out. I work with a couple guys that have been divorced. I can find out how they did it."

That puzzled look was still on her face.

"What the hell's wrong? I just said I'd find some help."

"Just a minute ago, you were threatening to shoot Martin, and maybe me too. What happened to change your attitude?"

"I still love you, and you know I would never do anything to harm you or anyone else. I don't even know why I have this fuckin' gun." I removed the Glock and the holster from my belt and set them on the table. "When I walked in here and you thought you had to have that horn-dog here to protect you... Well, I was so mad that you didn't trust me; let alone love me. You thought you had to have someone like, Martin to protect you.... I just wanted to shoot that fucker."

Nina had been standing and now she felt safe enough she could sit.

"I felt you were seeing someone else when you started that crap about a girl's night out. I didn't do this to keep track of you, but I set the follow me app, on your cellphone and I did it to mine too. Remember, I told you, all you had to do was go to your menu and you could see where I was. I thought it would be best if I were late, or something had happened to me. Little did I know, I would worry more about you and where you were."

Her voice became very soft. "So, you knew I wasn't where I said I was?"

"Am I really that bad of a husband, that you have to go behind my back and find a new lover. Shit, you were out every Wednesday night with a new guy."

"No, that's not true. At first, it was, but then I found someone that was there when I needed him."

She struck me right square in the heart. "What do you mean I wasn't there for you? Anytime you wanted something, I got it for you ...even if I had to beg, borrow or steal for you.

"I provided you with a house, a car, all the things I could give you, I gave. The only thing I couldn't give you was a child." The expression on her face changed. It was as if I had plunged a knife into "her" heart.

"I'm sorry, Nina. That was uncalled for, I'm sorry."

Her eyes were now filled with tears that didn't fall. She took a napkin and dabbed at the tears.

"Do you want to tell me who the other man is?"

"I have a feeling, you already know." She said in a whisper.

"Yes, I do, but I wanted to hear you say his name. I know who he is, and I know he's still married. Is he getting a divorce?"

"Yes, just as soon as I get my freedom, we'll be leaving."

I almost chuckled. "Your freedom... How in the hell can you say that? You're not chained to the wall. All you have to do is stand up and walk out that fucking door." I walked to where her handbag was hanging and removed her phone. "Here, call him right now. Tell him you told me and you're waiting for him to come, and you pick up. You can begin your new life as a home wrecking slut right now!" I forced her phone into her hand and left the room to get out of what wet clothes I was still wearing.

"I was going to stay here." she practically shouted as I turned into the master bedroom.

It took only a few minutes to change into some dry pants and a clean shirt. As I walked back into the kitchen, she appeared to think I was joking when I told her to call her lover.

"When will he be here?"

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"Nina, let me tell you what happened. You needed a job. You got a job. Then you got in with that crowd of cheaters and philandering women, you call your friends. They were having fun one night a week, so why shouldn't you? The reason you shouldn't is very simple. You are married to a man who would give his life for you." I paused long enough to catch my breath. "I watched you go out that first night, and I was pleased you had a good time. The next time you went out you dressed like a whore leaning against a lamppost. I didn't think anything of it at first. Then on the fourth for fifth night you went out, you came home and kissed me." I paused as if I wanted her to answer, but I didn't want to hear her say anything. "You came into this house and kissed me with the taste of some man's cum in your mouth."

She was now sobbing. There weren't enough tissues in that box to collect all the tears running down her face.

"I followed you and your gang to that, so-called club you guys went to, and I witnessed all the shit you were trying to get away with. I was there when you went to that motel with two men. Boy that was quite a sight. They came out of that place slapping each other on the back and hi-fiving all the way back to the bar. They didn't give a shit about you or how they left you that night. I watched as you made out with guy after guy on the dance floor of that shit hole. But My favorite was the night the motel was full, and you had to fuck that guy in his car. Your feet were pressed up to the window and he was having all the fun he could handle."

"Why didn't you stop me? Why didn't you take that gun out and end it...end it all!"

"For one thing, the gun isn't loaded." I said, taking the Glock from the holster and holding it so she could see there was no clip in it. "For another thing, going to prison is not on my dance-card."

I took her phone from her hand and checked her contacts. After selecting the one I knew was her lover's. I pressed the call button.

"What are you doing?" She tried to take the phone from my hand.

"Hello, Jackson, this is Nina's gonna be ex. I think you need to take your dick out of Martin's wife and come pick up Nina. She's gonna need a ride."

Nina looked at me in disbelief. "You see Nina, honey. Your so-called married boyfriend has a nice thing going with the wives in this town. On Tuesday night he's out with Martin's wife. Then on Wednesday, the night his wife plays cards with her mother's friends at the Nursing Home, he's got you turned around with your face in the pillows, fucking you." I stopped grinding on her for a minute. "I must admit he sure does know where all the buttons are. I just hate that I'm the one to spoil his life, like he has mine."

With a look of amazement, Nina seemed to understand. "Why didn't you leave me when you found out?

"I've wondered about that myself. I guess I thought you might come to your senses and give all this shit up. But I see you were just in too deep."

She was still crying when I told her to get her shit and get out.

I stood and walked to the fridge to get a diet something or other, now that I'm gonna be on the market again, I gotta keep my figure.

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Just so you know... Nina moved out and the last I heard she was back to her bad girl ways.

As for Martin, his wife came home and found him like a scared little rabbit. He confessed to having been with Nina, not only as a friend, but in the biblical way as well. She put that ring in his nose and lead him around like a little puppy. I can't help but wonder if she and Nina are doing their exploring of the Wild Side of life together.

Now we get to Jackson. Nina wasn't the only wife he was going to go away with. Oh, he did leave our little town, just before I left for greener pastures. But I think there was a bucket of tar, a bag of chicken feathers and a rail involved.

End

Looking forward to your comments,

Jay